NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY BRIEF FERTILITY RATES OF OTTAWA'S JEWISH COMMUNITY BY CHARLES SHAHAR APRIL 2015
2011 National Household Survey Brief Fertility Rates of Ottawa's Jewish Community This brief examines the fertility rate of Ottawa's Jewish population using data derived from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS). Unfortunately, no comprehensive vital statistics regarding Jewish fertility are available for this metropolitan area. Hospital and municipal records do not necessarily indicate the religion of the family, and neither set of records is readily accessible to researchers. However, an approximate measure of fertility can be derived from the NHS using two cohorts: children 0-4 years and adult females of child-bearing age (15-49 years). This measure is called the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), and is recognized by demographers as a viable alternative in situations where vital statistics related to birthrates are not available. There are two statistical issues related to this method of fertility calculation. Firstly, it is possible that some of the children 0-4 years are adopted or otherwise not living with a mother who has since died, or has moved to another city. It is likely that there are very few such children included in this calculation. Secondly, there may be women (15-49 years) whose young children are not living in this metropolitan area. Again, there are likely very few such cases involved in this calculation. It should be noted that the replacement fertility rate for an industrialized country such as Canada is considered to be 2.1 children. This means that a population would have to have an average of 2.1 births per woman in order to sustain itself. At such a rate it would simply remain at the same level rather than grow. Other factors such as in- and out-migration, as well as mortality, influence the general growth or decline of a population. Calculations reveal that the fertility rate for the Ottawa Jewish population is 1.53 children (Table 1). This rate is somewhat below replacement levels. The Jewish fertility rate is slightly higher than the non- 1
Table 1 Fertility Rates for Ottawa CMA (Ontario Part) Jewish, Non-Jewish &Total s Fertility Rate Total 1.51 Jewish 1.53 Non-Jewish 1.51 Table 2 Fertility Rates for Canadian Metropolitan Areas Jewish, Non-Jewish &Total s Census Metropolitan Area Total Jewish Non-Jewish Halifax, NS 1.41 1.61 1.41 Montreal, QC 1.61 2.27 1.60 Toronto, ON 1.49 1.93 1.48 Ottawa (Ontario part) 1.51 1.53 1.51 Hamilton, ON 1.55 2.39 1.55 Kingston, ON 1.41 2.50 1.40 Kitchener - Waterloo, ON 1.58 1.85 1.58 London, ON 1.50 1.53 1.50 Windsor, ON 1.48 1.06 1.48 Winnipeg, MB 1.54 1.63 1.54 Regina, SA 1.78 2.72 1.78 Calgary, AL 1.63 1.82 1.63 Edmonton, AL 1.64 1.74 1.64 Vancouver, BC 1.33 1.86 1.32 Victoria, BC 1.27 1.40 1.27 2
Jewish fertility rate (1.53 and 1.51 respectively). The fertility rate for the total Ottawa population is 1.51. The fertility rate for the Ottawa Jewish population is at the lower end of the distribution when compared to the rates of other major Jewish communities in Canada (Table 2). For instance, the Montreal Jewish community has a fertility rate of 2.27 children. It is 1.93 for the Toronto community, 1.63 for the Winnipeg community, 1.82 for the Calgary community, and 1.86 for the Vancouver community. As a point of comparison, the birthrate for the Jewish population of Canada is 1.99 children. It is 1.52 for the total population of Ontario, and 1.61 for the overall population of Canada. Table 3 examines the fertility rates of selected ethnic groups in the Ottawa CMA. The Arab community has the highest birthrate (2.61 children), followed by the Korean community (2.45). The Pakistani community is the only other group to register a birthrate above replacement levels (2.44). The Jewish population's fertility rate (1.53) is ranked 16th among ethnic groups. The lowest fertility rate is registered by those of British extraction (0.91 children). The French (1.26), Filipino (1.30) and Russian (1.38) communities also show very low fertility rates. 3
Table 3 Fertility Rates for Selected Ethnic Groups Ottawa CMA (Ontario Part) Ethnic Group Birth Rate Arab 2.61 Korean 2.45 Pakistani 2.44 Latin American 2.07 Caribbean 2.05 African 2.05 East Indian 2.00 Japanese 1.95 Aboriginal 1.93 Canadian 1.90 Italian 1.74 Ukrainian 1.66 American 1.57 Greek 1.55 Polish 1.54 (Jewish: full definition) (1.53) Spanish 1.53 Chinese 1.50 German 1.48 Vietnamese 1.42 Portuguese 1.40 Russian 1.38 Filipino 1.30 French 1.26 British 0.91 All other ethnic categories 1.17 Total Ottawa CMA (Ontario Part) 1.51 4